1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the class of indoors games in which players competitively attempt to maneuver a ball or other playing piece into their opponent's goal, or other recess in a table or the like, while protecting their own goal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous indoors games have been devised which are played with one or a plurality of balls or other playing pieces, and in which the objective of the game is to maneuver object balls on a table into a hole or pocket. A classic example is the game of pool. In this game, a player uses a cue stick to propel a cue ball against one or a plurality of object balls, so as to cause selected object balls to drop into specific peripheral pockets on the table.
The sport of soccer has been popular for many years in Europe and South America. This outdoors sport is played on a field having two opposed goals at opposite ends of the field. The goals consist of enclosures with open mouths facing the field. The objective of a team of players is to kick or otherwise propel the ball, which is about the size and configuration of a basketball, into the goal of the opposing team. The game is played without the use of hands except for the single player stationed at each goal, known as the goalie, who may use any part of his body to block and prevent the entry of the ball into the goal and thus to prevent the opposing team from making a score.
A popular indoors game played with a light weight, low density hollow ball is Ping-Pong, which is played on a horizontal table having a central transverse vertical net. Each of the two opposed players has a paddle to propel the Ping-Pong ball over the net. Points are made by hitting the ball over the net and onto the opposite side of the table in such a manner that the opponent cannot return the ball across the net into the opposite playing area after a single bounce.
A popular indoors or outdoors sport played with a plurality of players i.e., a team, on each side, is hockey, typically ice or roller hockey, played by players having sticks provided with blades to propel a disc-shaped puck across the surface of the court and into the opponent's goal. The players move about on the court or field using ice skates or roller skates, as the case may be.